1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of electrical connectors, and more particularly to arrangements of fastening means for application to an electrical connector assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
One conventional electrical connector assembly 100′ is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The electrical connector assembly 100′ comprises an electrical connector 2′ defining a mating surface 21′ and an opposite mounting surface 22′, a heat sink 3′ mounted onto the mating surface 21′ of the electrical connector 2′, and a substrate 4′ mounted onto the mounting surface 22′ of the electrical connector 2′. Normally the substrate 4′ comprises holes including a first group of four small holes 41′ and a second group of two large holes 43′. The electrical connector 2′ defines four receiving holes 220′ corresponding to the four small holes 41′, while the heat sink 3′ define another two receiving holes 30′ for corresponding to the two large holes 43′. Fastening means, generally in forms of pins, are inserted into these holes of the heat sink 3′, the electrical connector 2′ and the substrate 4′ in order to hold the heat sink 3′, the electrical connector 2′ and the substrate 4′ together. More specifically, a first group of four small pin-like elements 5′ are inserted through the receiving holes 220′ of the electrical connector 2′ into the holes 41′ of the substrate 4′ so as to assemble the electrical connector 2′ onto the substrate 4′. A heat sink 3′ is then mounted onto the sub-assembly including the electrical connector 2′ and the substrate 4′, and a second group of two large pin-like elements 1′ are then inserted into the receiving holes 30′ of the heat sink 3′ and the large holes 43′ of the substrate 4′ to mount the heat sink 3′ to the substrate 4′. As such, the heat sink 3′ and the electrical connector 2′ are securely held on the substrate 4′ by the two groups of pin-like elements 1′ and 5′. However, since two groups of pin-like elements, rather than a single group of pin-like element, are needed 1′ and 5′ to hold the electrical connector 2′, the substrate 4′ and the heat sink 3′ together, the substrate 4′ must define two groups of holes 41′ and 43′ for receiving these pin-like elements 1′ and 5′. Additional group of holes 43′ defined on the substrate 4′ may take up a “real estate” of the substrate 4′, thereby reducing available room for active and passive electronic components (not shown) to be equipped therewith. Therefore, there is a need to provide a new electrical connector assembly to resolve the above-mentioned shortcomings.